TRAVEL advice

TRAVEL VISAS FOR INDIA

All foreign nationals, including children, require a visa to enter India. Please do not finalise your travel arrangements to India before ascertaining the visa requirements. The general requirements for visas are:

Original passport valid for at least six months
Correct visa fee (Tourist visa is currently £30)
Two Recent passport-size photographs
Supporting documents, where necessary
Duly completed application form (Download a Visa Application Form here)

Visa applications can be made by post but if you can, it is far better to make the application in person, especially if time is an issue. Queue numbers are issued to visa applicants between 8.30 a.m. and 12.00 noon Mondays to Fridays, except holidays. Indian visas can be obtained in person in the UK from:

High Commission of India
India House
Aldwych
London WC2B 4NA

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TRAIN TICKETS

Queuing for a train ticket in India can be one of the most mentally draining and frustrating activities ever devised. You are far better of paying a premium and buying your tickets in the UK. S D Enterprises are an excellent outfit that can deliver Indrail passes to your door. Simply give them your itinerary and they will organise your tickets and schedule your trains to fit. Contact them on +44 (0)208 903 3411 or via their website.

Visit S.D. Enterprises' Website

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IMMUNISATIONS

In the first instance, make an appointment to see your local GP for advice on immunisations for India. You need to confirm that your existing Polio and Tetanus immunisations are up to date. If they are not, courses or boosters usually advised for travel to India are Hepatitis A, Typhoid, and Diphtheria. Vaccines sometimes advised:

Hepatitis B
Rabies
Tuberculosis
Japanese B encephalitis

Dengue fever is one of the most infectious diseases endemic to India. It occurs each year in most parts (other than the mountain states) with a rise during and after the monsoon. You should protect yourself from mosquito bites and seek medical help in case of fever. This website provides very useful information for travelers planning trips around the world: www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk & www.malariahotspots.co.uk

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MALARIA

Malaria is a serious and sometimes-fatal disease transmitted by mosquitoes. You cannot be vaccinated against malaria. Malaria precautions are essential in all areas below 2000m, all year round. There is no risk in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Kashmir and Sikkim, which are at high altitude. Avoid mosquito bites by covering up with clothing such as long sleeves and long trousers especially after sunset, using insect repellents on exposed skin and sleeping under a mosquito net.

Its recommended that you take prophylaxis: chloroquine plus proguanil to protect yourself against all the different mosquitoes to be found there. Some species of mosquito have become immune to other forms of malaria medication.

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HYGIENE

Outside westernised hotels and restaurants, Indian lavatories can be a real shock to the system (especially the more rural you go). Even on the trains, there's rarely any toilet paper. Normally there is just a hole in the floor with foot plates either side and a cup of water or tap to rinse one's hands! Be very wary when shaking people's hands and also if you're handling their currency. Be sure to wash your hands before food in any case. I tend to carry a pack of sterile wipes wherever I go. Good for cleaning hands and refreshing your face… It may be paranoia, but you really do not want to be ill out in the bush, hours perhaps days away from a modern hospital!

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AVOIDING 'DELHI BELLY'

By sticking to a few 'common sense' rules you can easily tour India without a single stomach ache. Two weeks before you fly start taking acidophilus tablets. They're 'good' bacteria capsules that you can pick up at Boots and Superdrug or any health food store. They help build your immunity to stomach bugs and help you acclimatise to the new bacteria.

Once in India, stay away from the hot spicy dishes. Authentic Indian cuisine is actually very mild but very flavoursome. You don't need to go for madras or vindaloo (which have all been invented to suit the western pallet and inexplicable need to have a burning tongue). Also try and stay away from meat dishes.

Due to the religious status of cows, you cannot buy beef dishes leaving the only other choices, mutton, chicken or fish. Market stalls offer very cheap, very tasty and surprisingly safe food. Its normally freshly cooked in front of you and you get loads for your money. However, without any refrigeration its probably best to stick to rice and veg dishes here.

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WATER

A simple but essential rule… ONLY drink bottled water and if you're in a restaurant, insist that the bottle is opened by you at your table. And don't forget that all fresh fruit and veg will have been rinsed with tap or well water so this is best avoided.

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MONEY

The best think you can do here, especially if you're flying into Delhi, is to withdraw rupees from the ATM in the airport terminal. This will ensure you get the very best rate of exchange and can avoid the unpleasant scene of trying to stuff wads of notes into your bad and clothes. If you are unable to withdraw cash from ATM's, then its best to take British sterling traveler's cheques. I'd normally cash these at a bank in the city before departing on my journey. Do not rely on the possibility that there could or should be a bank or exchange service along your route. The probability is that there won't be!

SECURITY

Its very rare to be mugged in India. You are more likely to be taken advantage of, conned or ripped off. Try not to be fooled into thinking that everyone there genuinely wants to be your friend. Unfortunately the majority of 'helpful' people are only interested in your money.

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TIPPING

When I first went to India, I arrived into Delhi on my own. I stayed at a pleasant, clean but basic hotel and dug a huge hole for myself in not knowing how much to tip the waiters, etc. By working out the exchange rate in my head I thought 100Rps or more is a fair enough tip for someone to drag my bags up the stairs. It was only when the 5th room attendant knocked on my door - enquiring whether I had enough towels or whether there was anything else I could possibly want - that I twigged I was paying them a daily wage with a single tip!

Room attendants are not bashful in waiting around for the tip and once there is a 'cash cow' in the hotel, its like bees round a honey pot! I know you are only talking a matter of pennies, but these tend to add up over a period of 2 weeks. At first you feel like you're being really tight with money, but after the 10th time of being over charged you'll soon get over it! And if you're traveling on a tight budget then you will want to account for pretty much every Rupee.

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